Review of Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions From New, Modified, and Reconstructed Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units

Resumen

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing amendments to the rulemaking titled "Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New, Modified, and Reconstructed Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units (EGUs)," which the EPA promulgated by notice dated October 23, 2015 (i.e., the 2015 Rule). Specifically, the EPA proposes to amend its previous determination that the best system of emission reduction (BSER) for newly constructed coal-fired steam generating units (i.e., EGUs) is partial carbon capture and storage (CCS). Instead, the EPA proposes to find that the BSER for this source category is the most efficient demonstrated steam cycle (e.g., supercritical steam conditions for large units and subcritical steam conditions for small units) in combination with the best operating practices. The EPA proposes to revise the standard of performance for newly constructed steam generating units as separate standards of performance for large and small steam generating units that reflect the Agency's amended BSER determination. In addition, the EPA proposes to revise the standard of performance for reconstructed steam generating units to be separate standard